Personal injury reforms delayed until April 2021

Qamar Anwar, managing director of First4Lawyers, comments on yesterday's announcement that the reforms to whiplash injury claims are to be delayed until April 2021:

"There is a certain irony in the Government delaying an online system when everything else in the world seems to be going online. However, yesterday’s announcement was inevitable as the Ministry of Justice has dragged its feet in making the decisions needed to meet the April implementation date. And quite frankly, the MoJ’s focus right now should be on helping the many areas of the sector that are in crisis.

"When these reforms come back, the MoJ need to ensure that new rules are published, and all the outstanding issues with the claims process are settled to allow businesses on all sides the proper time to prepare. When the time is right, we will also need reassurance that plans have been laid for a much needed public information campaign – these reforms are bad enough for injured people without them being left clueless on the changes and how even to access the process."